Julie, just some broad strokes of observations you made cause I really need some sleep
1. I too didn’t see the ‘envy’ in the eyes of the woman of the painting Louise chose. Loved your comment tho. Bottom of page 22?

2. I too don’t care much for the new kind of ‘fantasy’ films coming out. But Into The Woods is not like that at all. Here’s a YouTube link to the song ‘Agony’ I mentioned my sons sang. In the stage and film, both Conderella and Rapunzel’s princes are brothers. It’s funny and beautifully filmed. Enjoy. And good night. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wrggORKra2k

Hahaha – you had me wondering who Conderella was! Other times, my brain can make that jump to fill in what you meant, but for some reason I’ve got nothing but cotton-candy up there this morning… I will go and listen and look for the movie…

Meanwhile, one more bit on the article about readers… I have a website I visit daily on Jane Austen, populated by writers of fan fiction. Every day, one of them writes a “scene left out” of one of JA’s books. They take those moments left for us to fill in and fill them in. Sometimes, they are fun, and sometimes, I don’t like to have it filled in for me, as I was thinking something altogether different!

This comment may be out of context however I wish to express my adoration to Louise for creating a character with basic honesty and strength of inner self belief. A true old fashioned gentleman. I do not see the same character out of other mystery writers.

Hello Robert,
I’m delighted you just jumped in. We tend to create our own ‘context’ so don’t worry about it. And I’m sure it is that ‘true old fashioned gentleman’ nature of Gamache that so many of us are so drawn to. His refined manners are indeed refreshing and welcome. Please feel free to comment again on any topic you wish.

Gamache is indeed a man of morals and decency. I love too that he is human and accessible with it. He maintains his own morality without judging others for their mistakes. I am thinking his saving of Jean Guy and other members of his team.

Humm… Your comments, Anna and Robert, gave me a new insight on Peter! Peter was Gamache’s foil! Peter’s contrast to Gamashe is yet another example of the ‘chiaroscuro’ which, if I remember correctly, fascinated you so much.

That’s interesting, Millie – I like to think of Peter as Gamache’s foil. I wonder what he’ll do now? I am hoping for some closure regarding Peter (trying to tiptoe not to include spoilers if people haven’t read that far) in the next book… some conclusion that satisfies me in a way the ending of the last did not quite do. I think we are left hanging somewhat on Clara’s next steps…

Robert – if there’s anything we can do here at the Bistro, it’s accommodate a new context, hahaha. I, too, love Gamache for his strength, his wisdom and above all, his morality. He is a man who knows who he is and is at peace with that. Even with the darkest corners of his heart – he has been afraid, but he has looked anyway. Most of us shut that door and run the other way. Jean Guy is a perfect example of a good man afraid to look to closely inside his heart… I loved watching him on his journey, and what Gamache did to help him at each step, even when he seemed not to be helping him.

Of course there should be an s on “bête” – these early mornings are going to do me in, hahaha. Up this morning because someone has stolen our credit card number and gone shopping on the internet in the middle of the night. Little did they know I’d be checking my email in the middle of the night, and get a report on it! Of course, there wasn’t much to do until the Fraud department opened this morning, so of course, I had to wait until morning to call. Ick.

Yes, I have several things that drive me nuts. Many are the little spelling errors that have now become common. “Alot” instead of a lot, “should of” instead of “should have”… Many of these are because a whole generation of children went to school at a time when it was decided it would be detrimental to their egos to mark them down for spelling errors… so now there are many people trying to get ahead in business and not understanding why they can’t get that promotion that they “should of” gotten. But the one that has plagued me all my life (and really, why do I care so much?) is “I could care less.” If you could care less, then you care. If you’re trying to say you don’t care, you have to say “I couldn’t care less.” Add to all this the fact that I never know whether to put the period inside or outside quotes and parentheses, so who am I to be judging anyone’s English? hahahaha.

Did I strike a nerve with the comment? My aunt used to say her pet peeve was “irregardless”… and I know that almost everyone has something like that that drives them crazy. Here’s a funny one – my hubby is extremely intelligent and well-educated, but somehow, he’s gotten it into his head that “diffident” and “indifferent” are synonyms. Every time he describes someone as “diffident” I cringe, but I have been not saying anything about it for 25 years, so it seems a little late to bring it up now… I think that’s one I’m going to have to take to my grave…

One of the things that amazes me about Louise’s writing is her ability to create a “hero” like Gamache who is strong and wise but flawed. I was reading Elizabeth George’s book on writing talking about an author who’s story was about happy people who loved each other and what they did and everything was rosy and it was boring. At the same time, I can’t read books where it is all depression and ugliness. Louise gives us happiness but it isn’t boring. She gives us despair, like Jean Guy, with hope.

Oh! Yes! Gamache playing along that he was the pool boy or whatever and admitting R-M was so much better at it than he. Dignified but sassy sense of humor… Most couples of many years have ‘inner jokes’. It makes him more human and loveable.

Me too! What I find fascinating about Louise’s characters is much of what you all said – but there’s more to it somehow… The people are real – I know them. We have gotten to know them over a fairly long time, now, and each time we meet up with them, more is revealed. Yet, Louise’s genius is that she can show us more, and it changes things, but it’s completely believable to us – it’s not “out of character” even when it’s way out of character, like Olivier in The Brutal Telling. We have to accept what he’s done, because he did it, even though we’d never have dreamed he could do such a thing. But the characters and stories are so real to us, that instead of thinking that Louise got it wrong, we just realize we didn’t know enough about Olivier yet. That’s not easy to do!

Slow, slow reader checking in, Anna! I’m in the middle of a huge crisis in The Cove – adrenaline is flowing madly! I am in awe that you could do this in your very first book! While I don’t know the answers yet (but I think I know who dunnit, and I’m hoping that things are going to turn out okay) and I might have to do one mighty read to finish it up. I can’t hold my breath that long, hahaha.

I’m reading the same book, Anna. I took that more in a metaphorical sense. Aren’t we, as readers, comforted when we read about other’s struggles and can say, “Whew! At least my life isn’t THAT bad”? I don’t think I would have used ‘boring’ as much as, “very few people have such perfect lives that there may not be much for the reader to relate to…” But I agree, my favorite books have characters that help me take a breath and laugh. Or at least chuckle and who most definitely offer hope!

I think life without struggle is like traveling a long flat road, little change, little effort required but not much to entertain you. We have a long flat road in Australia, it’s called the Nullabor, which means no trees, and it’s dead straight for a 90 mile section!

No, life needs ups and downs for colour. We may not think it when we are in the down bit but how else do we appreciate the up.

It’s like a story needs climaxes and drama. The bit from Elizabeth George may well have been metaphorical but she is right. There is nothing in a story if there is no conflict and drama.

I agree Millie, it’s often a case of looking at a story and thinking life isn’t so bad but also the hope that resolutions in a story bring, particularly when we have trouble seeing how our own challenges might end happily. Hope.

Bubble Thoughts
They are busily bubbling up today.
Anna, The Cove is just as good in reread as the first time. As always, I’ve picked up more on the reread. I am looking forward to the back story on some of the characters. Good character development when only a bit of information make the reader want more. The series will be much awaited.
Millie, Your posts are always interesting. I’m so glad you are back with us— both for you and for all of us. We have an armoire across from the foot of our bed. I had good laugh when I went to bed the other night. I’ll confess that the fact that typos and other booboos helped me get over my fear of making an error when posting. I had just purchased this laptop when we started the reread last year. The one I was using had crashed ( I had always wondered just what crashing was like, unfortunately I fund out). I was just learning its quirks. I still don’t understand some of them. Our computers are grand but they are in control it seems.

Glad to help ease your fears that you do NOT need to be ‘perfect’ to perfectly fit in. Heaven knows, I’m sure far from perfect, just ask my ‘man in the wardrobe’! LOL

I too enjoy your posts very much. Some are wonderful insights and some make me giggle. You add so much to the joy of visiting The Bistro!

I’m right there with you having to learn an entirely new operating system. You should be a fly atop an armoire and hear me mumble curses under my breath when I’m trying to find ‘where the bleep’ something is now! When my younger son saw the size of the ‘manual’ he laughed and said, “Don’t you just hate books that could take the place of a piece of furniture?” We both laughed remembering his first reaction to his first semester of University. He said, “This is not like high school!” Yes, it is.

I posted before I did something to lose it.
Millie, I read Pope Joan(?) with a book club. While the idea provokes controversy, it was interesting reading. My point being, writing about a person about whom little is known can be a challenge and can also provide the opportunity for creativity. The Medieval Period is a fascinating time offering a writer many options and ideas. Not to push you…just excited about the prospects.

That book is waiting in a box for me to read it. Did you like it? And, No, it’s not THAT Pope. lol
Thanks for the excitement. You really are a sweetheart.

Recently heard an interview of another fav author, Diana Gabaldon where she was asked how much ‘research’ does she do? Her response floored me, “I research as I write, but most of the time I’ll add a note in the first draft to research X. I could research a subject till I die, so I only do enough to be sure what I’m saying is in the right time period, then move on…
Sounds like I have plenty already for me to ‘move on’ past chapter 1!

I love to research but one thing leads to another and before I realize I am far from topic.
I might know who your pope is but not a word until you have written the book. I’ll say then if I am right. If so, you do have an exciting time ahead I think. Don’t fret if you don’t get all the facts you want. As has been said you don’t intend to write his biography.
Bubble thought—–Wolf Hall aired on PBS last Sun. and so far is true to the book. I want to find out more about Thomas Cromwell but his name brings me nothing in the Pines Library System. I’ll just have to try some other sources.

I do that too, make a note of a detail I need and then only look that up. Otherwise research dominates all your time, particularly for something like you are doing. You need a balance between a broad knowledge of the setting which needs some reading, as I suspect you have already done, and then honing in on needed details.

Julie, I LOL at your pet peeves. Could have been my list. I almost scream when I see 4 used for four in ads. That and intentional misspellings tell me one thing. I don’t want to shop there ever. I can not read printed material without “editing” it in my mind. I even edit speakers. No wonder I am so hard on my self.

I know just what you mean, Barbara – it’s so funny. I KNOW that spelling doesn’t have a thing to do with a person’s intelligence, or even whether or not they can write a compelling paragraph, but it’s hard not to let my perceptions be colored. All because of my very strict teachers when I grew up! My best friend in the world is about 10 years younger than me, and grew up in a Montessori school sort of world. It was her dear ego that they were afraid of squashing if they mentioned that something was spelled wrong… fast forward 40 years and she is so frustrated because she can’t spell and she has let it make her feel like she can’t write or speak – it’s been paralyzing for her. And she is very intelligent. I wish those teachers could be dug up and flogged! (and I know it’s not the individual teachers – it’s the system – but really, would it have been so hard to teach those kids the right way to do things?)

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